Soul Winning vs. Disciple Making

Why is it that we are so afraid to share our faith with people? Or, why do we get so discouraged when we share our faith but the person rejects the message? Could it be that the message we have to share is really not the message Jesus shared with the people of his time. Could it be that deep down in our hearts we know the truth and that is why we shy away from sharing our faith. It is kind of like a salesman who is selling a product they don’t believe in or doesn’t even use. We may react to that statement with “of course I use the product; I’m a Christian after all”. The problem with that statement is that it is entirely possible that it is not true. When Jesus told his disciples to go out and make disciples, He was not telling them to go just go out and tell their stories to everyone they find. He was telling them to go out and do what he had taught them. He taught them to deny themselves, pick up their cross and follow him. No Romans road, no cleaver analogies about a car and a garage, no deep penetrating questions about your understanding about your disposition following death. Jesus taught to cloth the naked, feed the hungry and care for the sick. Jesus taught his disciples to fight injustice and heal the sick. Jesus challenged His disciples to rely on the father by stepping up to feed 5000 people with a boys lunch. Jesus challenged his disciples to do the impossible. Jesus lived with 12 men. Day in and day out. He made disciples. We are challenged by Jesus to do what He did. But, to make a disciple you first must be a disciple. You cannot skip this very important step. You cannot take people where you have never been.

People are not going to turn their lives around because you have strung a few scriptures together into a path to righteousness that you yourself are not following. You may say, “well I do follow Jesus and I do walk the path He has laid down before me.” The simple truth is that unless you are doing what Jesus did and said, you are not His disciple. If you are not a disciple of Jesus, then what are you inviting those you share your faith with into? Maybe this is why you have not been successful in making disciples. Maybe your walk is not attractive enough for people to drop their nets and follow you. Maybe you are afraid to share because deep down in your soul you know that you are not on the path yourself.

What are you calling those you share with to? If your hope is to lead someone in a prayer of commitment, then this to maybe your down fall. Jesus called His disciples to make other disciples. Again, Jesus was the model. He lived with his disciples day and night. He shared His life with them. He taught them intimately for three years. He broke bread with them. He ministered with them. He celebrated with them. They were His disciples and when it came time for them to go out, they went out and did the same. Are you truly a disciple? If so, then make others like you. If the idea of putting others on your path makes you whence, then I would challenge you that you are not a disciple. I am not suggesting that one be prefect to lead others. One must only have experienced a little more of the life of God than the one he is disciplining. You must be on the journey. If you find the journey spiritually rewarding then you won’t mind bringing someone else along. Making disciples is not about saying a prayer and making a notch on your evangelical gun. It is about living life together, sharing and doing the works of Christ on your journey to Christ likeness. This is what disciples do. They feed the hungry, nurture the sick, cloth the naked and love and care of people in general. This is the journey. Along the way people will see your good works and know that you are a disciple. They will be very open to your point of view and you will not be afraid to share your journey with them and you may pick up a disciple or two in the process.